Managing To Win: Sagging Popularity Forces Russia’s Ruling Party To Dig Into Its Box Of Election Tricks

Russia Regions Map

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – July 4, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/sagging-popularity-forces-russia-s-ruling-party-to-dig-into-its-box-of-election-tricks/30036639.html) Oleg Shein might seem like a perfect choice of a candidate to challenge the ruling-party incumbent in the race for governor in Russia’s Astrakhan Oblast. A State Duma deputy who endured a 40-day hunger strike […]

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RUSSIALINK: “A Just Russia offers Communists to pool efforts for pension referendum – Mironov” – Interfax

Russian State Duma Building file photo

ROSTOV-ON-DON. Sept 3 (Interfax) – The parliament factions of the Russian Communist Party and A Just Russia should pool efforts to make the pension referendum happen, A Just Russia’s faction leader Sergei Mironov said at a press conference in Rostov-on-Don. “I have offered our Communist Party colleagues in the State Duma to combine efforts [towards holding the referendum]. Clearly, everything […]

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Pressure on Kolomoyskyi is U.S. attempt to create centralized Ukraine with strong anti-Russian govt – Duma deputy

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

MOSCOW. March 24 (Interfax) – The events around Ukrainian governor Ihor Kolomoyskyi attest that he is not among the people the West is planning to build relations with, says Mikhail Yemelyanov, first deputy leader of A Just Russia Party faction. “It is clear that Kolomoyskyi is not the politician with whom the U.S. and Europeans would like to deal, hence […]

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Debaltseve Was Fatal Flaw in Minsk Agreement on Ukraine

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – February 19, 2015) When the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France spent 17 hours last week negotiating an agreement aimed at stopping the fighting in eastern Ukraine and paving the way for a future fundamental settlement of the crisis, there was one key issue they failed to agree on. This was […]

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Russia and Ukraine pull back from the gas brink

Gas Facility file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Tim Gosling in Prague – June 3, 2014) Raising hopes that Moscow and Kyiv are now serious about finding a route out of the crisis in Ukraine, the EU reported late on June 2 that the pair is mulling a proposed compromise on gas. Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom earlier extended the June 2 […]

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Interfax: Russia ready to be a mediator in Ukraine but will not impose – Lavrov

Sergei Lavrov file photo

(Interfax – February 14, 2014) Russia is prepared to act as a mediator between Ukraine’s opposition and government in their search for a solution to the crisis in the country if Russia is asked to, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “We will not mind acting as a mediator between the authorities and the opposition if the authorities and the opposition […]

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Russian Opposition Lawmaker Calls Large-Scale Protests Unlikely

Moscow Protest file photo

(RIA Novosti – VALDAI, Novgorod Region, September 18, 2013) ­ An outspoken Russian opposition lawmaker said Wednesday that political protest in the country was too fragmented to generate the kind of large-scale public discontent that erupted after parliamentary elections in 2011. “I’m convinced there will be no new wave of protests,” Ilya Ponomaryov of A Just Russia party said at […]

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Ponomaryov Accused of Orchestrating Bolotnaya Riots

Russian Duma Building

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 11, 2013) A State Duma deputy from the leftist A Just Russia party Ilya Ponomaryov has been accused of helping to organize mass riots on Bolotnaya Ploshchad in central Moscow, one of the officers in charge of policing at the rally testified. “Ilya Ponomaryov ­ along with Udaltsov ­ has organized mass riots,” Dmitry […]

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Just Russia Chairman Signals Shift Toward Kremlin

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – April 12, 2013) Russian society is disillusioned with the wayward anti-Kremlin protest movement, and the center-left Just Russia party will not pander to self-proclaimed opposition leaders, the party’s chairman said Thursday. “An atmosphere of disillusionment predominates in society today, not only disillusionment with the ruling regime but also with the so-called protest […]

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